Cream Anmitsu (クリームあんみつ, Kurīmu Anmitsu)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Nagashikan (metal setting mold), or an 8-inch square pan
• •Small saucepan
• •Ami jakushi (wire skimmer), or a slotted spoon
• •Four chilled glass or celadon dessert bowls
• •Small pitcher for kuromitsu

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the kanten

   Stir the kanten powder into 2 cups water while the water is still cold, then bring it to a full boil over medium heat, stirring often. Once it boils, keep it at a lively simmer for 2 minutes. Kanten has to be truly dissolved or the set turns grainy and weak. Pour it into a nagashikan or an 8-inch square pan, let it cool until firm, then chill.

   Kanten is not gelatin. It needs boiling to dissolve, and once it sets it gives the clean cube that makes anmitsu itself.
2. 2

   Make kuromitsu

   Put the kokutō, 1/2 cup water, and salt in a small saucepan. Warm gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Stop while it still pours easily; it thickens as it cools, and a syrup cooked too far lands in heavy drops on the ice cream. Strain if the sugar leaves mineral flecks, then chill completely.

3. 3

   Mix shiratama dough

   Put the shiratamako in a bowl and add the water little by little, kneading with your fingers. Stop when the dough feels soft as an earlobe, the old mimitabu cue. Different flours drink differently, so the feel matters more than the exact last spoonful. Roll into 16 small balls and press a shallow dimple in each center so they cook evenly.

4. 4

   Boil the shiratama

   Bring a pot of water to a steady boil. Drop in the shiratama and stir once so they don't stick to the bottom. When they float, cook 1 minute more; floating tells you the outside has set, and the extra minute cooks the center. Lift them into cold water to firm the surface and wash away loose starch.

5. 5

   Cut and chill

   Cut the firm kanten into 1/2-inch cubes. Drain the fruit well and cut it into small, neat pieces. Chill the serving bowls, because a cold bowl gives the ice cream a little more grace at the table. If using canned mikan or white peach, drain them carefully so the syrup doesn't thin the kuromitsu.

6. 6

   Assemble the bowls

   Divide the kanten among four chilled bowls, leaving some open space. Arrange the fruit in odd little groups, scatter in the salted red peas, and add a spoonful of tsubu-an and four shiratama to each bowl. Set the ice cream on last, then drizzle each serving with 1 to 2 tablespoons kuromitsu. Serve at once, with extra syrup at the table.

Chef Tips

• •Use Japanese kanten powder if you can, and measure by weight. Agar powders vary, but the classic anmitsu texture is firm enough to cut cleanly and soft enough to spoon without a fight.
• •Choose tsubu-an that tastes of azuki, not only sugar. If it is very sweet, use less kuromitsu rather than trying to correct the whole bowl afterward. Nothing hidden.
• •Aka endō mame, salted red peas, are small but not decoration. Their salt makes the sweet parts taste clearer. If you can't find them, leave them out rather than using random canned beans.
• •Pre-scoop the ice cream onto a chilled tray and freeze the scoops hard. It keeps the final assembly calm, which is useful when four bowls and warm hands are conspiring against you.
• •Use fruit that is genuinely good today. A glistening fresh peach beats a tired assortment chosen for color, and a clean canned mikan is more honest than a sour out-of-season orange.

Advance Preparation

• •The kanten can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Do not freeze it; freezing breaks the clean set.
• •Kuromitsu keeps for 2 weeks refrigerated. Warm the jar briefly in a bowl of hot water if it thickens too much to pour.
• •Shiratama are best the day they're made. Hold them in cold water in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours, then refresh briefly in cool water before serving.
• •Assemble only at the last moment. The contrast is the dish, and a bowl left waiting becomes sweet soup with good intentions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 435g)